Operation of the Land Systems Reference Centre
The U.K. Ministry of Defence has chosen new personnel to run the Land Systems Reference Centre (LSRC). Beginning next month and continuing for five years, the new team will carry out system tests and technical evaluation for the joint and land environments. The activities are scheduled for routine work and as a support activity to pre-deployment of systems as required to help mitigate risks, improve efficiencies and increase performance. The LSRC is an independent test and reference facility for the acceptance and support of operational communications and information systems before and during deployment. Steria won the $35.5 million contract and will work with a core team of suppliers to manage and support the LSRC and its capability. The team will offer fast response to change and scalability to manage the complexity of testing in an increasingly networked and joint operational environment. As prime system integrator, Steria will coordinate the team and manage delivery. Other involved companies are SCS Limited, Aspire, Drumgrange Limited and Johnson Controls.
 
Evaluating British Sensors
The assessment phase of Project Listener for the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MOD) is underway. Project Listener integrates sensor products to provide actionable intelligence against selected targets and to achieve interoperability among the United Kingdom’s intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance assets and U.S. and coalition systems and networks. This phase of the project is worth $2 million and is a 10-month engineering effort focused on risk reduction and solution definition. Main-gate approval is expected in 2009 for follow-on demonstration and manufacturing through 2015. The Listener capability should remain in service until approximately 2035. L-3 Communications won a contract for the work from the MOD. The company will serve as prime contractor for the effort, offering program management, airborne platform integration and systems engineering for requirements, development and test and evaluation. At least 60 percent of the Listener effort will be carried out in the United Kingdom.
 
Radios for Latvian Forces
Latvian Defence Forces will receive Falcon(R) II tactical communications systems. Under a new contract, the troops will take delivery of RF-5800H high frequency, RF-5800V very high frequency and RF-5800M multiband very high frequency/ultrahigh frequency handheld radios and accessories. The RF-5800 series radios include integrated global positioning system and Internet protocol networking capabilities guaranteeing seamless communication with other peacekeeping operators using the Falcon II radios. Harris Corporation received the contract, valued at $3.3 million, for the devices. The company has supplied Falcon II radios to the Latvian Ministry of Defence and national guard in the past for use in national and international peacekeeping missions worldwide.
 
Port Security in the Mediterranean
An integrated maritime security system has been ordered for the new port of Tanger Med. The state-of-the-art system surpasses the requirements of the International Ship and Port Facility Security code and the European Directive 65/2005. The system’s deployment will begin in 2008 and finish in 2011. Designed to face carefully analyzed threats, the maritime security system features seaside surveillance based on field-proven detection and identification sensors. Landside protection is ensured with layers such as perimeter fences, intelligent video surveillance and an access control system including biometry that is fully consistent with commercial port operations. The suite of subsystems in the maritime system is adapted to meet the diverse challenges of the commercial activity of Tanger Med, including containers, oil products, bulk freight and intercontinental passengers. The security system will be located on the straits of Gibraltar and may reshape the economic environment of northern Morocco, as well as western Mediterranean marine commercial patterns. The Tanger Mediterranean Special Agency of Morocco awarded a contract for the work to EADS Defence and Security.
 
Israeli Littoral Combat Ship
Concept and preliminary design work on the proposed Israeli navy’s littoral combat ship—known as LCS-I—is continuing into a nine-month combat system configuration phase. The LCS-I’s combat system performance will be examined using two radar options. Personnel will evaluate the performance of these two radar options using the Component-Based Total Ship System-21 (COMBATSS-21) combat management system integrated with the Israeli navy command and control (IC2) system. From this evaluation, they will develop the technical architecture, high-level specifications and estimated costs to integrate COMBATSS-21 with the IC2 and multiple Israeli and U.S. sensor and weapon systems including the MK 41 Vertical Launch System, Typhoon gun and Barak missile. Lockheed Martin won the $2.3 million foreign military sales contract from the U.S. Navy and will work with U.S. and Israeli navies to develop a technical specification and acquisition cost package for the LCS-I combat system. Lockheed is partnered with Rafael Armament Systems, Elbit Systems and Ness on the LCS-I.


Submit news about international contract awards to signalnews@afcea.org.